March 30 (SeeNews) - Nearly half of social media users in Bulgaria are against the country welcoming refugees, a recent survey by Sofia-based media analysis provider Perceptica indicated.
No fewer than 47% of all social media users are firmly opposed to Bulgaria accepting refugees, against 25% who are positive to the idea and 28% who are neutral, Perceptica said on Tuesday, quoting the survey results. The survey covers 80,000 mentions in mainstream sources and almost 30,000 in the social media including Facebook and Twitter in the second half of 2015.
The share of negative mentions also showed an upward trend over the review period. Facebook users demonstrated the highest degree of animosity, 57% of all posts being critical towards refugees and migrants, compared to 11% positive and 32% neutral.
Facebook contributed the largest share of conversation - 34% of all social media comments. Bloggers were the most positive group, 42% of all posts being tolerant towards refugees. They were also the most polarized - only 9% of the analyzed blog posts were neutral on the issue of the refugee wave.
The volume of conversation peaked in September, when problems with the transportation of refugees and tense situations along national borders received extensive coverage by international news agencies.
Germany was the most frequently mentioned European state with 11% of the total volume of conversation, followed by Turkey with 9%.
Perceptica is part of the global information services company A Data Pro. It offers analysis in all European and many world languages on a wide variety of topics, including economics, sociology, telecommunications, health services and consumer goods. In January, Perceptica added employer branding to its portfolio of services.